MacNeil Shortlisted For Finland On MJT Prodigy Series
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2017-06-13
WOODSTOCK, Ontario — Joseph MacNeil, 16, of Severn, ON, played rock-solid golf during the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s Prodigy Series at Craigowan Oxford Golf and Country Club in Woodstock, ON, claiming Low Overall and the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 Title. Players were competing for titles in seven divisions on Canada’s number-one played Junior Tour over the June 10 and 11 weekend, as well as the chance to qualify for shortlisted positions on MJT Team Canada to the Nordic Junior Team Matches in Finland.
MacNeil fired rounds of 71, 73 = 144 and won by six strokes over Bennett Ruby, 16, of Waterloo, ON. “I feel pretty excited (about the win),” said MacNeil, who is now short-listed together with Ruby for spots in the matches against Finland, Sweden and Estonia in Helsinki this Fall. “I was really consistent throughout the round.”
Highlights on the other division champions at the event are featured below, and overall event highlights are posted on the MJT website here, showing winners of the Miura ‘Respect the Game’ Award, PLYR Long Drive, PLYR Closest-to-the-Pin and Golf Town Performance Awards.
The MJT Junior Boys 17-18 winner was Aidan Gavey, 17, of Caledonia , ON, (75, 79 = 154) who narrowly edged out Davey Morton, 17, of Woodstock, ON, and said afterwards, “Best thing about my game was putting – I scrambled my way around the course, which was phenomenal – the greens and the staff were great.”
In the new MJT Collegiate Men’s 19-23 division, the winner was Ian Wilson, 20, of Ottawa, ON, (79, 73 = 152) who beat Chris Nauts, 19, of Woodstock, ON, by seven strokes. Wilson said he felt really happy with the game and extremely excited to have his first MJT win. “I chose to play MJT to keep my tournament game sharp before the university season begins in the fall and I’d like to thank the MJT staff for putting on such a well-run event.”
Graem Costigan, 14, of Cambridge, ON (76, 83 = 159) edged Kayden White, 14, of Kitchener, ON by one stroke for the MJT Bantam Boys 13-14 title. “It feels really great - it is my third tournament so I am proud with what I’ve accomplished,” said Costigan. “I never gave up – my ‘mind’ was always staying positive.”
MJT Peewee Boys 11-12 winner was Kevin Lee, 12, of Markham, ON (78, 76 = 154) who won by two strokes over Andre Zhu, 10, of Richmond Hill, ON, and stated afterwards, “I feel good, but not the best. I felt as if I could do better. My driver was consistent and provided opportunities to score lower.”
In the Girls divisions, MJT 15-18 Girls winner was Sukriti Harjai, 17, of Niagara Falls, ON, who shot 79, 78 = 157 to win by three over Brooke MacKinnon, 17, of Chatham, ON. Harjai said, “I haven’t won anything in a while, feels great to finally win. The best thing about my game today was my putting. It was on point, my lag putts were getting where I wanted them to.”
MJT U15 Girls winner was Alexis McMurray, 13, of Oakville, ON who shot 82, 83 = 165 to win the division by an incredible 34 shots, and stated, “I feel like my hard work is paying off, and this win reflects it. My pitching and chipping were the best part of my game today. This is the best junior tour to develop my skills, and also has amazing sponsors and is very well organized.”
The next two Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour stops in Ontario are June 17 and 18 at Osprey Valley GC in Caledon and then June 24 and 25 at Galt Country Club in Cambridge – both are also qualifiers for major international events. For more information or to register, please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.
About the MJT
The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza is Canada’s number one-played Junior Golf Tour as well as the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada. The organization is presented nationally by Boston Pizza and supported by valued Premier, Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, the Collegiate Tour for 19-23 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players aged 11 to 18 which are also qualifiers for international competitions. The program offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include many Professional Tour players and PGA of Canada Professionals, as well as Canadian Amateur, National and Provincial Junior Champions. The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional level. For more information on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour, please visit www.maplejt.com